Sony A900 versus Nikon D850

The Sony Alpha A900 and the Nikon D850 are two professional cameras that were officially introduced, respectively,
in September 2008 and July 2017. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with a full frame sensor. The Sony has a resolution of 24.4 megapixel, whereas the Nikon provides 45.4 MP. Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their size, their sensors, their features, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Sony A900 vs Nikon D850

The physical size and weight of the Sony A900 and the Nikon D850 are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter. If you prefer, you can also use the toggle button to switch to a comparison in percentage terms (in this case, the camera on the left side – the A900 – represents the basis for the calculations across all the size and weight measures).

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Sony A900 and the Nikon D850 are of equal size. However, the D850 is markedly heavier (12 percent) than the A900. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. Hence, you might want to study the specifications of available lenses
in order to get the full picture of the size and weight of the two camera systems.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left
arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and
make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The A900 was somewhat cheaper (by 9 percent) than the D850 at launch, but both cameras fall into the same price category. Normally, street prices remain initially close to the MSRP, but after a couple of months, the first discounts appear. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison: Sony A900 vs Nikon D850

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a full frame sensor, but their sensors
differ slightly in size. They nevertheless have the same format factor of 1.0. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Despite having a slightly smaller sensor, the D850 offers a higher
resolution of 45.4 megapixel, compared with 24.4 MP of the A900.
This megapixel advantage comes at the cost of a higher pixel density and a smaller size of the individual pixel
(with a pixel pitch of 4.35μm versus 5.94μm for the A900). However, it should be noted that the D850 is much more recent (by 8 years and 10 months) than the A900, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that make it possible to gather light more efficiently. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the D850 has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). Of the two cameras under consideration, the D850 offers substantially better image quality than the A900 (overall score 21 points higher). The advantage is based on 2.7 bits higher color depth, 2.5 EV in additional dynamic range, and 0.9 stops in additional low light sensitivity. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The D850 indeed provides for movie recording, while the A900 does not. The highest resolution format that the D850 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison: Sony A900 vs Nikon D850

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The A900 and the D850 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Sony A900, the Nikon D850, and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or in the dpreview camera hub.

One feature that differentiates the A900 and the D850 is in-body image stabilization (IBIS).
The A900 reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while the D850 has to rely on optical image stabilization
in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

The A900 writes its imaging data to Compact Flash or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, while the D850 uses SDHC or XQD cards. Both cameras feature dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails.

The D850 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Nikon.
In contrast, the A900 has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). As a replacement in the same line of cameras, the A900 was succeeded by the Sony A99.

Review summary: Sony A900 vs Nikon D850

So how do things add up? Which of the two cameras – the Sony A900 or the Nikon D850 – has the upper hand? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.

Reasons to prefer the Sony Alpha A900:

Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.

Less heavy: Is lighter (by 110g or 11 percent) and hence easier to carry around.

Sharper images: Has hand-shake reducing image stabilization build-in.

More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in September 2008).

Arguments in favor of the Nikon D850:

More detail: Has more megapixels (45.4 vs 24.4MP), which boosts linear resolution by 36%.

Maximized detail: Lacks an anti-alias filter to exploit the sensor's full resolution potential.

More modern: Reflects 8 years and 10 months of technical progress since the A900 launch.

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the D850 is the clear winner of the contest (18 : 4 points). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera.

A900 04:18 D850

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the A900 and the D850 in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? If you would like to see a different side-by-side camera review, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool. If you do not see the camera that you are looking for, kindly get in touch, and I will try to update the database with the necessary infos.